LABOUR EXCHANGES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 514, 22 May 1909, Page 5

LABOUR EXCHANGES.

—«— : —- WORKLESS PROBLEM. LIBERALS' EFFORT TO SOLVE IT. COPYING RIVALS. (or TtiiEaEAru—rnitsa assocutioh—coriaiaHT l (Rec. May 21, 9.15 p.m.) , London, May 21. Mr. Churchill, President of the Board of Trade, has explained further details of his sohomo (cabled yesterday) to deal with unemployment by means of a system of labour exchanges (for the supplying of information and work), advisory Committees (composed of equal uumbers of employers and workers, with impartial permanent officials and chairmen), and contributions by workers, employers. and the State. National and Uniform. Mr. Churchill's idea is that the Board of Trade should contrcl the labour exchanges, so is to make tho system national and uni J , form. Gjreat importance is attaohed to the advisory committees. \ It is hoped that the labour eschango will become an Industrial centre or labour market in tsach town. It is suggested that the trade boards should meet there, and that the meeting rooms should be let to trade unions at reasonable .rents. The trade unions are expected to 00-operato for mutual information. / . ' It is intended that the labour, exchanges shall dffor facilities' for washing clothes and vonding non-alcoholic refreshments. Separata provision will be niado for men and women, and for skilled'and unskilled'labour. : One section of the Board of Trade will act as an intelligence bureau to'watch changes in tho labour market at home and abroad, to atit! as a counterpoise to the unregulated movement of that market, and to deal with schemes of public utility pet cm foot by the Government. , ; In tho Commons. .He Bill giving effect to the scheme Was introduced by Mr. Churchill in the House of Commons yesterday.' The only cpptiriorit of tho Bill was Mr. Havelock Wilson (Laboiir; member for Middlesborough, and Secretary Of the Sailors' arid Firemen's Union). His objection was that tho mercantilo marine offices —which were sailors' forms of labour exchanges under the Board of Trado—had. proved an absolute failure, merely encouraging the engagement of cheap Chinese labour. : [When the agitation against Chinese labour on British ships was at Its height, Mr. Churchill, replying in the House of Commons to a question by Mr. Havelock Wilson—who juotcd certain. oases—said that Chmefeo b6fifd-inehouse-ltobpers had not and would not., be allowed access to Board of Trade premises for the purpose of supplying. ere#B Of Ghfnl.aSen to British ships. "I have ' nothing to provo that tho crews in those cases, were supplied by' l Ohineso crimps,"- added. Mr.' Churohill, "but if any< eridcnce of an infringement of the Merchant Shipping Act. .is forthooimne. the Question of instituting legal proceedings: will be considered."] ."Calculated to Mitigate." , Ho newspapora wbloomo tlie Bill.aß a good ocotiomic sohomo calculated to mitigate social, evils. ■ - ' 'porno urge employers to utilise tho exchanges to,fill vacancies; otherß emphasiso: tho importance -of ttado unions hoartily assisting. • .. ; : . ! Stress is laid. on. the fact that Britain 1b tardily , following tho example, of her industrial rivals. .." '-. What industrial rivals are doing* Mr. Lloyd-George's . .visit to Germany last year, to'study-'old age pensions, industrial insurance, . and social legislation, is said to be colouring recent British Bills. .In a report to tho rUnited States Labour Bureau on Continental systems, Mr. D. P. Bliss writoßt— Triple Classification. "In studying what hoa been done and Is How being done for the unemployed l lh foreign countries, threo Ronoral classosvarti hero conBidered t. Tho employable.' the unemployable, and the vagrant, incorrigible,' or more or less vioious., The employable are divided Into two groups—thbso who ate out t>l work and have so prospect of returning to their former employ* \inont, - and those who are out of work but wht*o regular employment fa , oily toatjomlly Interrupted. , . , ' "Tho .most important a&eadeii lot t>rovld< tar. work for tho unemployed who n» employ able, but have -no lifospeet of returning to their former positions, are public employment baueaui. These are larjjoly developed la a number of European countries, but especially in' Germany, whefo they have grown rapidly 1 In-the'last twenty years, both in numbers and in efficiently. Private employment. bureau* br various kinds ate also found In moat of the countries studied. Apart frohi employment bureau*, other efforts made by European govSfhtnents lb And new positions for the utitoi. ployed of this class eonslet in nttsapts oltlte* to eolbniso them across the seas In their own colonial possessions or dependencies, or in some way to get them in the home country 'hack to the land.' Inturance Against Unemployment.' ' . "In connection with the temporarily out of work, consideration; is given to tfade union out-of-work benefits i under this are fneluiied the attempts, mainly In Swit«rlantl, at in* stirance against unetfcplcyment and the 'Ghent' system, now largely developed throughtSut Bel» glum, and BpmdlhS Into othei 1 countries, not* ably Franco, whereby the municipal or e6in« imlnal. or; In 60M6 eases, the provincial or ftOMral, government my supplement the trade untoh out-of-work benefit by adding to it an equal sumi ' " 'Homo shelters' for the workmen travellbm hi search ofj wetk are considered, mainly for Germany. ana Switzerland; where they have been; most developed, as apart f.rotn ordinary charitable shelters and lodging-houses' for the poorer artisan class at large. In Germany, Switzerland, and German Austria, the BA-6Alled 'Herbergen' or 'Herbergen,aitrHeirtiat' (home shelters), are organised into'a general system of homos or hotels for working men; and Especifor those who are travelling.in. search of work, in all the larger cities and towns. Here, under helpful influences', workmen can find lodging for a night of two either by paying a small sum: or, if unable to pay, by doing a little work in the morning. They are in all oases private institutions, maintained in inany cases by the trado unions, Or, not rnfreftUently, by fehgious societies. ■ •; Relief Stations. . ' "Connected with these home shelters there has been developed, particularly in southern Germany and a few other portions of the Gefmaii. Empire, ft system of smaller relief stations CVerpfleguttgSstatißSeh) under government administration at- support. These relief stations are plteady organised in .than? i)bttioi\& of the Empire in such numbers as to be frith (a walking- distance Of each tithfer, and all aft connScted by telephone. A WOrkiiinn tfftVeljlng in.search of work can go from shelter to shifter,; and. at every, point learn in which dilation he can look for work With the most hope of success. Tho man who patronises these sta--tions Is compelled to havO and show at every sheltoi 1 ' ftt Which 110 applies' a little book showing his occupation, last place of employment,' reason for discharge, etc. His being at each plafo of shelter is carefully noted, and" it is ihdicated to which shelter he will next apply. All is imder bompleto governmental or police bontfolj anil if the worker, securing work, de&ai'ts from lliS appointed route or. hoS m fcfml'So to bcfginS. or i« any way violates the rules.governing the relief Shelters, lie can be atid ifl, "afcnsttd, IT Uhabld to pfty- for iiis shelter, he is required to work ih the mdnilng and travel in the afternoon, and-the time in which he can stay at any oiiO sheltet is Strictly limited. "Legislation has been enacted ih Pi'iiSSia looking to the establishment'of this system all over that kingdom, iti tho Cnhtons of Swit' Mrlaild, Which hlive accepted, the system, a in) in doiisiderable portions of Germany itself,' it Is claimed that triimtia or iffesnon'sible vag. rfints.have been almost rtmOVed ffOUVthe fioiS' muniljf. : Iliiportaiit help is givfn ,ti! i!ii> system by the natioilaliEßd fftilfoads, which.dfitfv at half price or one>thifd firlcS Sll those rjfi . tided by the ijti.UlbHtijaS' tii :bti WOtlt» i